The action imparted to hard head bugs is governed by the shape of the bug and the cut of its face. I assign names names to my bugs to describe the type action I can produce with them when I’m fishing.
Chugger
For example, a Chugger has a very fat body with a deeply cupped face. When I’m fishing the Chugger, I impart a series of firm 2-3 foot line hand strip to the bug. This creates a loud gurgling action to the Chugger which often appeals to bass prompting them to rise from deep water to come up from undercut banks to take the Chugger. There are stretches of the James, New, and Potomac River which the Chugger is the most productive hard head bug.
Slider
A Slider has a long slim body with a gently pointy nose. A teasing bug-action produced with a series of slow line-hand pulls is extremely effective. Use in three foot deep water in heavy shade below trees and over cobblestone bottoms.. This is one stretch of the Shenandoah River where I take many of my friends when in town. This fifty yard stretch receives little pressure and the bass are easy to catch on a Slider that is teased under the shade.
Popper
The Shenandoah Popper is what I consider a true popper. It has a long straight smooth body with a flat up sloping face. With a firm line hand stripping retrieve you can produce a moderate noise with it but not nearly as loud as you can achieve with a Chugger. A teasing action similar to that of the slider can be achieved with a slow hand-twist retrieve with the Shenandoah Popper. I have great success with this around grass beds and in the tails of the pools at dusk.
The greatest success we can achieve with hard head bugs comes by analyzing the water before us. Then carefully select the specific bug which we determine will produce the type action needed to lure the bass to the surface.